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British sapper served with 287th Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 18th Infantry Divisional Engineers in Malaya, 1/1942-2/1942; POW in Changi, River Valley Road, Changi Gaol and Kranji Camps in Singapore, Malaya, 2/1942-8/1945

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REEL 1 Background in Hull, GB, 1920-1941: family; education; conscription, 1/1941; expectation of coming war. Aspects of operations as sapper with 287th Field Coy, Royal Engineers, 18th Infantry Divisional Engineers in Malaya, 1/1942-2/1942: voyage from GB to Singapore, 10/1941-1/1942 including lecture about Japanese military; journey north from Singapore; role of Royal Engineers in slowing down Japanese advance; lack of preparations for jungle warfare; equipment deficiencies; withdrawal to Singapore Island; destruction of airfield at RAF Seletar; blowing up naval gun on Singapore Island; initial impressions of Japanese troops. Recollections of period as POW in Changi Camp, Singapore, Malaya, 2/1942-6/1942: description conditions and POW self organisation in camp.
REEL 2 Continues: Selarang Square Incident, 9/1942; sabotage of Japanese petrol supply; black marketeering with Chinese civilians. Aspects of period as POW in River Valley Road Camp, Singapore, Malaya, 6/1942-4/1943: his physical condition; necessity of learning Japanese and Malay; method of receiving news; how illness prevented his being allocated to Burma-Thailand Railway. Aspects of period as POW in Changi Gaol Camp, Singapore, Malaya, 4/1943-8/1944: move into Changi Gaol; POW diet and supplementing rice issue; work constructing Changi aerodrome; opinion of Japanese and Koreans; his interrogation for stealing rice from Japanese waste.
REEL 3 Continues: Japanese divisive POW policy; pro-British Eurasians. Aspects of period as POW in Kranji Camp, Singapore, Malaya, 8/1944-8/1945: move to camp; tunnelling work; theft of chickens; Japanese black marketeering; receiving news of war’s progress from Chinese civlians; decision of Japanese in Singapore to fight on after capitulation; his liberation and physical condition; sight of Japanese POWs after liberation; his attitude towards Japanese; effects of imprisonment. Reflections on period as POW in Singapore, Malaya, 2/1942-8/1945: Japanese attitude towards POWs; need for a will to survive; POW rackets; contact with American POW; treatment of pro-British Gurkha and Indian sepoy POWs by Sikh guards of Indian National Army.

Over two million American servicemen passed through Britain during the Second World War. In 1944, at the height of activity, up to half a million were based there with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Their job was to man and maintain the vast fleets of aircraft needed to attack German cities and industry.